|
Country
|
Lesotho | 
Tonga |
|
Leader
|
Head of state: King Letsie III
|
Head of state: King George Tupou V
|
|
Population
|
1,930,493
| 106,146
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
51.860 years
| 75.380 years
|
|
Capital City
|
Maseru
| Nuku'alofa
|
|
Largest city
|
| Maseru (population: 118,355) | Nuku`alofa (population: 22,400) |
|
Human Development Index
|
0.496
| 0.774
|
| GDP per capita |
$2,000 US
| $7,400 US
|
|
Literacy Rate
|
84.8%
| 98.9%
|
|
Corruption Perception Index
|
3.2
| 2.4
|
|
Percentage of Women in Parliament
|
25.8%
| 3.1%
|
| Wealthiest Citizens |
|
|
| Unemployment Rate |
45.000%
| 13.000%
|
|
Death Penalty
|
Legal
| Abolished in practice
|
| |
|
Political System
|
parliamentary constitutional monarchy
| constitutional monarchy
|
|
Independence date
|
4 October 1966 (from UK)
| 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)
|
| Religions |
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
| Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)
|
| Languages |
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
| Tongan, English
|
| Exports |
manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)
| squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops
|
| External Debt |
$729,900,000 $
| $104,600,000 US
|
| Exchange Rate |
maloti (LSL) per US dollar - 7.75 (2008 est.), 7.25 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004)
| pa'anga (TOP) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2.0277 (2006), 1.96 (2005), 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003)
|
| Military Budget as percentage of GDP |
2.600%
| 0.900%
|
| Beijing Olympics Medal Count |
|
|
| Location |
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
| Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
|
| Area |
30,355 km sq
| 747 km sq
|
| Coastline |
0 km
| 419 km
|
| Climate |
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
| tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May), cool season (May to December)
|
|
|
|
